


Undercover

by Bluewolf458



Category: The Sentinel (TV)
Genre: Gen, Sentinel Thursday
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-22
Updated: 2018-09-22
Packaged: 2019-07-15 12:05:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16062767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bluewolf458/pseuds/Bluewolf458
Summary: Blair visits Club Doom... undercover





	Undercover

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Sentinel Thursday prompt 'gamble'

Undercover

by Bluewolf

"No!"

"Jim, it makes sense. You've seen the bodies. All young, all with long hair. All wearing ear rings. All wearing fairly bright-colored clothes.

"The last place any of them was seen alive was Club Doom, so that has to be the place we go to drop some bait.

"Now while I've stopped wearing an ear ring, the hole hasn't closed up yet. I'm mostly wearing less... well, flamboyant clothes, these days, but I still have some. And I'm the one person in Major Crime who wouldn't scream 'cop!' the moment I walked into Club Doom."

"Rafe wouldn't - "

"Well, okay, maybe Rafe wouldn't, but he doesn't have long hair, and everyone would recognize that he wasn't comfortable in the kind of clothes worn by the youngsters who go there.

"I never went regularly to Club Doom when I was just a student, I was too busy studying, but I did go occasionally. First time I went I knew I was recognized as 'hasn't been anywhere like this before' - but I was clearly young, and knew the music the band was playing, which put me into the category of 'mid to late teen finding his feet'. Rafe is too old for that. Too old to be going to a club for the first ever time in his life.

"I still look young enough to be a student. I'd fit in."

"And if someone recognized you?" Jim asked. "And don't say that's impossible. You're a TA - and you said yourself, students go to Club Doom."

"So if there's one there who knows me and speaks to me, I tell him I'm having a night off, relaxing, reliving my carefree days as a student.

"You'd be out in the parking lot, listening to me, listening to anyone who spoke to me; and we could have a code word that I could use to let you know if I felt threatened."

"You're talking as if this would be easy, but undercover work never is. And you'd be gambling your life on my being able to hear you in all the buzz of background voices, street sounds - even in a parking lot I'd be aware of passing traffic."

"Jim, Jim, Jim. Are you doubting yourself? Hearing is your strongest sense - and you know how to filter things out."

"And if I zone, straining to hear your voice? What if you're just sitting there having a drink, with nobody talking to you?"

"So I'll hum along with the music. And you keep something in your hand, playing with it so you're not concentrating on just the one sense. Or take Megan along - or Joel. You'd be better with someone partnering you. Megan knows about the sentinel stuff, but you'd probably prefer to be with Joel."

Jim sighed. "I'm not going to win here, am I?"

Blair grinned. "Haven't you learned yet how much I trust you? But come on - let's take this to Simon, see what he says."

***

Simon's response was less than enthusiastic, although he admitted that Blair had a point; none of the Major Crime detectives could pass as the kind of naive, too-trusting youngster that seemed to be the target of the killer.

Blair could.

And so Simon reluctantly agreed with Blair. Since it seemed that the killer was picking up his victims in Club Doom, it made sense to send someone in, undercover, who matched the appearance of those victims.

And so that night Blair put in one of his ear rings, and dug out the blue vest that he rarely wore now because he felt it didn't quite fit the image of police observer. Then he headed for Club Doom.

Jim had already left, taking Joel with him.

Henri was headed there too, wearing one of his more colorful shirts, one that would let him fit in - he was the least cop-like of the Major Crime team, but he was so far removed from the profile of the victims that there was no way he could be the bait. But he could go in and watch Blair, as on the spot backup for Jim.

***

When Blair went into Club Doom, he was surprised at how little he appreciated the atmosphere. Although he had never been a regular patron, in the past he had enjoyed visiting it occasionally.

He bought a bottle of beer, and found a seat at one of the tables, not too far from where Henri was sitting. Well aware of how easy it could be for someone to slip a mickey into the beer, he kept the bottle in his hand; listened to the music for a minute or two, then began to hum the tune softly, slowly getting louder, giving the impression of someone getting totally caught up in the ambiance of the place. He began to sway gently in time with the music, noting, out of the corner of his eye, that H was also keeping a hand on his drink, and was tapping the table gently with the other hand, also keeping time with the music. A quick glance around showed others doing much the same thing.

Blair pulled a small notebook from his pocket, and began to scribble a note in it.

"Hello." The voice was quiet, friendly - if Blair had not been alert for an approach, he would certainly have thought it harmless. As it was he registered the friendliness of it, and mentally shook his head.

"Hello." He looked at the stranger, noting the smile that said, 'I think I know you'. "Have we met?"

"I thought for a minute that we had, but now I'm not so sure. Mind if I join you? Charlie Amis."

"Gary Newcome." It was the first of the code words he had arranged with Jim.

***

Outside, Jim stiffened. 'Newcome'. Blair had been approached by a stranger.

He listened as the two talked. Blair admitted to being a student - "Just a couple of days back from a fact-finding trip to Canada, spending time with an Inuit family, seeing at first hand how they live. The weather turned nasty, so I came back a few days early, and man, it's lonely at Rainier. I'd expected one or two of my acquaintances there to be catching up on their studies, but no; nobody there that I know; so I decided to take tonight off and just relax."

"Inuit?"

"Oh - you'd probably call them Eskimos. But that's like calling all the First Nation Americans... well, Redskins. Both terms are old fashioned and insulting. There are several different tribes up in Arctic Canada, and just like the First Nation, they've all got their own language and culture." He chattered on, and Jim grinned to himself. Amis - if he was their killer - had to be incredibly bored, but pretending an interest, determined to 'hook' Blair.

After a few minutes, Blair wound down. "But enough of that. What about you, man? What do you do?"

"Actually, I'm with the police."

 _So that's how he gets his victims to trust him!_ Jim thought. _Nice respectable job with the police. Yes, that'll be right!_

"Wow!" Blair said. "That has to be exciting!"

"Well, not really. I'm with Burglary. I spend a lot of time talking to people whose houses have been broken into and had stuff stolen. Visiting places like pawn shops, especially ones that are known fences, trying to find items that have been stolen. It's Patrol that has the exciting, dangerous job."

 _True,_ Jim thought, even as he wondered if the man did indeed have some association with the police. A lot of the public didn't realize how unexciting a detective's job often was.

"But this is my day off so - like you - I decided to come here and relax. My good luck, finding you!"

***

The moment Amis said 'Police', Blair knew this was their killer. Everyone - unless it was a criminal - trusted the police. Oh, it could be true - Blair was well aware that he didn't know everyone in the PD, though he was pretty sure most of the personnel there would recognize Jim's civilian 'partner'. Of course, there were other precincts, but...

And he knew that Jim would realize that too, and be ready for them when they went out to the parking lot.

But no harm in having extra backup. He rubbed the back of his right ear - the sign that he had agreed with H to use when he was quite sure it was the killer speaking to him.

Amis, having paused to take a slug of his drink, was speaking again. "Hey, it's getting a bit noisier in here. How about we move somewhere quieter? Come back to my place and we can get to know each other better."

"That sounds quite a good idea," Blair agreed. "I can follow you in my car - but what's the address, in case I get held up at a red light?"

"Oh, no need to worry about that. You could come in my car, then when you want to go home, I can bring you back and drop you off."

"Isn't that a bit of a nuisance for you?"

"Well, if I'm honest, I don't want to miss a second of your company."

Yes, Blair thought, that would be very flattering if I really was just what I claim to be... "All right, if you're sure."

"I'm sure. Now - my car is in the staff parking lot, at the back of the building - it's more convenient for where I live - to get to customer parking I'd have to go round a couple of side streets."

"Makes sense," Blair agreed, and rubbed the bridge of his nose; another signal to H. "But won't it be a nuisance for you when you bring me back?"

"It's worth it, to get your company."

Blair smiled as if he was feeling flattered, and rose to follow Amis, apparently pushing his notebook back into his pocket, but allowing it to fall to the floor. Then he followed Amis down a side corridor and out into staff parking.

They were almost at Amis' car when a voice behind them shouted, "Hold on!"

Blair glanced around. Sure enough, there was H, waving the notebook.

"You dropped this," H said. He took his time crossing to them, limping slightly.

"You all right, man?" Blair asked as H reached them.

"Yes - twisted my ankle a couple of days ago. Here - " He held out the notebook.

"Thanks," Blair said. "A lot of people wouldn't have bothered chasing after me, not for a notebook, but I do appreciate it - I've got some important notes in it that it would have been a nuisance to lose." As he pushed it into his pocket, a blue and white truck pulled up across the entrance.

H turned as if to go back into the building, Amis climbed into his car and Blair settled into the passenger seat.

"What the - " Amis had just realized that the way out was blocked.

Jim, with Joel just behind him, walked calmly over to the car. "Mr. Amis?"

"Yes?"

"Detective Ellison, Major Crime. Can I ask where you are taking this young man?"

"We were just going somewhere quiet where we could get to know each other a  little better."

"Where you could kill him, you mean."

Amis' hand was moving very slowly towards his pocket; Blair grabbed it. "I don't think so," he said coldly.

"What... ?" Amis was staring at him, a disbelieving look in his eyes. "You're not a cop!"

"No - but I work with them as a civilian consultant."

Amis slumped hopelessly. Jim opened the car door and pulled the man out, checking his pocket - sure enough, he had a small gun there.

H joined them. "Patrol car is on its way," he said. He glanced at Blair. "Good job, Hairboy," he added.

"Good teamwork," Blair said.

***

They watched as Amis was driven away. "We'll get his address from his license number," Joel said.

"And with luck find absolute proof of his guilt there," Jim added.

 

 

 


End file.
